Thunder Demon
by the mighty lu bu
Summary: In the middle of a fight Gabrielle is struck by lightning, causing her to have the ability to produce and emit lightning, but is it safe? Could it kill her?


Thunder Demon

By the Mighty Lu Bu

I don't own Xena, I don't own Hercules, I don't own star trek, I don't own Face Off, I can go on. What nobodies listening, oh that's right, no body gives a damn.

(Occurs after one against an army but before sacrifice)

Xena and Gabrielle walked down a road they had been on several times. The road between Athens and Corinth. Gabrielle was talking thoughtfully about flowers as Xena was listening to her. She used to just ignore her most of the time when they first got together but now she loved to her speak.

Gabrielle said "Those flowers, the grass, the road, us, we are interconnected by some cosmic force. It's like we are one." Xena said "So what your telling me is because I'm one with the flowers I'm going to start sprouting petals when I wake up tomorrow?" Gabrielle replied going along with her sarcasm "No but maybe if someone did your roots" Xena answered "Ha ha, no more Aphrodite for you."

Thunder could be heard. Xena replied "Every other day it seems it has been raining. How about you use your oneness to give us a clear day for once." Gabrielle replied sarcastically "Ha ha ha." Then a group of about seven warriors met them heading the other direction met them. They were your typical looking for trouble bad guys. Xena knew how it was going to end.

The man leading them asked "Are you Xena?" Xena answered "No, that's Xena?" She pointed at Gabrielle. Gabrielle waved playfully. The man had a dumb look on her face. He said "But I thought Xena was tall and had dark hair and carried a chakram?"

Xena answered straight faced "No she is a blond who swings a mean staff, I'm her friend Gabrielle." The man asked "Are you making fun of me?" Xena answered "Well if you weren't such an easy target it wouldn't happen so much?" His friends chuckled at the comment.

He looked incredibly angry as he undid his mace. The others followed suit unsheathing their weapons. Three of them charged at Xena as she did a roundhouse kick knocking them back. One man with a sword went at Gabrielle. She hit him in the hand with her staff causing him to drop the sword spinning around and tipping him up and then hitting him hard on the head as he tried to get to his feet.

Two guys came at Xena as she back flipped kicking him them hard in the head. Then the guy in the mace swung at Xena. She ducked each blow without attacking. She said mockingly "If you can't hit me how are you going to beat Xena?" He screamed as she ducked mace rolling behind him pelting him across the back of the head with her sword careful not to kill him.

One guy who Xena kicked had managed to get back to his feet to fight as he went after Gabrielle. Xena watched Gabrielle fight taking him how good she had got with her staff.

Gabrielle hit him in the Abdomen and then bringing each end into each of his sides. A spin maneuver connected with his head but he still stood. Then suddenly as she prepared for a second strike when lightning struck between them sending Gabrielle and the man she fighting in opposite directions. The man landed on a rock caving in his skull killing him.

Xena shouted "Gabrielle!" as she ran to her body. She felt for a pulse, there was none.

(Xena opening credits)

Xena looked at Gabrielle remembering how she brought her back before when she was injured by the minatoans. She held Gabrielle's nose shut as she breathed air into her lungs. She did it a few times. Then she pushed hard on her chest pumping it. She kept doing this until her eyes opened as she gasped for air.

Gabrielle asked "What happened?" Xena answered cradling her "You became one with the lightning." She helped her to her feet as they prepared to seek shelter from the coming storm. Xena put her hand on her shoulder resulting in her getting shocked slightly. Gabrielle looked at Xena. Xena answered "I guess you still have a bit of charge." Gabrielle replied "More like a live wire."

They continued until they found a farmhouse that was owned by someone Xena had helped in the past. The old man named Harrion. Harrion said "I have a bed that used to belong to my son before he got married, it's small but it's all I have to offer." Xena said "Thank you?" He answered "After you saved us from Callisto. I'll do anything to repay you." Xena nodded politely.

Once they were inside Gabrielle asked "So who were those guys that attacked us?" Xena answered "My guess bounty hunters, most likely hired by one of my enemies." Xena looked down. It had been three years since she left her path of evil and still people came after her seeking vengeance. She supposed it comes with the territory.

The rain began to come down as they looked out side. It looked to be quite the soaker. Xena looked at her Gabrielle's hair. She petted it down as it seemed to stick up a little. Xena said chuckling to herself. "Gabrielle, it looks like your still energized by that strike." Gabrielle looked at Xena shaking her head. Then they saw a group of men come to the door of the farmhouse. It was the same idiots they had fought earlier. They readied themselves for a fight.

----

The man with the mace grabbed Harrion by the face saying "I know Xena is here old man. Tell me before I break your skull. He felt a tapping on his shoulder. He said "Just a minute." He didn't know it but it was Xena behind him. The other men had run for it. She tapped again. He said "Just a damn minute!" Xena grabbed his head slamming him down to the ground. She said "You like beating up the elderly huh?" She him in the face a few times. She continued "How do you like it?" She rubbed the back of his face in the mud.

Three of the men who had ran came back and attacked. Xena easily knocked them away. She turned to help Gabrielle who was doing quite nicely with her staff. Then a kick had knocked her staff away. Xena was about to help but suddenly stopped as Gabrielle's hair stood up. Lightning came out her finger tips and fried the man who was trying to kill her. He was dead. Xena ran up to Gabrielle. She asked "What was that?" Gabrielle said in shock "I…I... hit him with a lightning bolt." Xena answered "That don't make any sense, how could you strike him with lightning." Gabrielle shook her head saying "I don't know."

(Cut to commercial. Remember vote for prosperity, reelect President Clinton)

Xena asked Gabrielle as they were back in the farm house. Xena asked "How could you emit energy like that." Gabrielle said back irritated "I don't know." Xena continued "When you were struck by lightning you most have somehow been affected by it." Gabrielle sat down wondering "How could that have happened?" Xena answered with "I don't know. But it can't be healthy."

Xena thought long and hard about all of this wondering how much her friend could be affected by this. Something of this sort had to be a health issue for anyone. Xena was worried for Gabrielle.

Gabrielle was concerned as well, she had killed that guy but in truth she didn't really felt like she did. It was like someone else killed him. She didn't know how to feel about it. She considered that this may be a gift of sorts, if she could learn to control it somehow.

---

The man with the mace returned to his lord a couple miles south of where Xena was. He said "I failed my lord." A man in a metal mask grabbed him by the throat saying "you most certainly did." He crushed his throat as easily as he would crush a bug.

The man behind the mask was a warrior named Kilactries. He had once rode with Xena in the past. When he failed a mission she put his face into a pile of coals on the ground horribly scarring his face.

He then turned to his men saying "This is the price of failure. Tomorrow we will ride on Xena and see if she has energy left for another fight. Do you understand me?" The soldiers said "Yes mighty Kilactries!"

---

Gabrielle was sleeping in the bed on the right of Xena. Gabrielle was moving a lot in her sleep as she had a nightmare. She said "No." Then time passed "No." Then suddenly she shouted "Hope!" Then lightning emitted from her finger tips. Xena was awoken by the commotion as she looked to see what it was. All around her the electric energy filled the room.

Gabrielle was floating above the bed with electricity escaping her body in all directions. Gabrielle apparently was still asleep during all of this. Xena had to wake her up but if she got to close she would fry. She shouted "Gabrielle, wake up!" nothing. She shouted again "Wake up!" Nothing. Xena took drastic actions as she grabbed Gabrielle's staff. And hit her in the head to wake her up.

Her eyes opened sending one last blast wave of energy through the room as she fell to the bed. Xena went to her to see if she was ok. She seemed thoroughly exhausted. She was hot to the touch as Xena noticed she had streaks of burn marks going up and down her clothing. The bed was even worse as it was blackened by the shock wave.

Xena said "Gabrielle are you alright." Gabrielle answered weakly "I'm a little sore but I'll be fine." Xena wasn't convinced as she thought that this lightning thing was hurting her. And worse that she couldn't control the power. Xena said "We need to find some way to get rid of this power you have." Gabrielle turned to Xena and said "I'm fine." While her voice was calm her fingers sparked when she said it.

For a second their Xena thought she was looking at someone else's eyes. Xena was bothered greatly about this however she decided that it was best not to worry about it now. However, in the morning they would try to find some way to be rid of this newfound power of hers before it hurt her friend anymore.

(Cut to commercial. For the taste of it, diet coke. Ahh. Travolta. Nicolas Cage. Face off, now playing in a theater near you)

Kilactries and his men arrived at the farm house. He quickly surrounded the building ensuring no escape. He ordered his archers to fire flaming arrows at it to burn out his enemies. As they pulled back a noise was heard.

It was the chakram as it cut each of the flaming arrows heads off before returning to Xena. Kilactries unsheathed his sword and shouted "Xena!" They charged at her with great ferocity on horseback. Xena threw the chakram again as it bounced of a tree and then knocking down several of his mounted archers and then bouncing of a rock it came back knocking the other men down flat on their faces.

They got to their feet running at her as she unsheathed her sword with the love of battle shinning brightly on her face. One man came up to her as she kicked in his knee, then she hit his sword with hers knocking it away and the a roundhouse kick to his face. Three more came at her as she jumped into the air with her famous war cry kicking one in the head and then landing on another man with his head between her legs as she flipped over sending him flying into the ground several feet away into the third one.

Course Gabrielle wasn't far away with her staff knocking over men left and right. Then one grabbed her from behind and took her down as he prepared to kill her. Then suddenly the lightning appeared again. Her body flew into the air as it fried the man who tried to kill her. Then another man came up and she shoot lightning into him. Xena saw her floating several feet above the air. Her eyes were nothing but pure electricity as she spewed another lightning strike into a third man sending him flying several feet away.

Kilactries saw this and began to retreat in fear but a bolt from both hands killed him instantly. Then Gabrielle fell to the ground free of the power momentarily, as Xena barely managed to catch her before she landed. Xena said "Gabrielle." She was extremely weak as her body was severely drained. Truth was if this continued she would die and Xena recognized this. Xena said "Let's go Gabrielle, we have to get rid of this power." Then suddenly a shock sent Xena flying several feet.

Gabrielle was suspended in the air as she spoke but it wasn't her voice. It said "You will not take this body from me." Xena realized what she was up against. This was some kind of being that had entered Gabrielle's body.

(Cut to commercial. Vote Ross Perot. The short guy who has no chance in hell of becoming president.)

Xena starred at Gabrielle and shouted "Who are you!" The being shouted "I am Yapixite the thunder demon. Once I was flesh, but cursed by Zeus to only exist for a flash and then cease to be. Zeus said I loved life to ,such and cared little of anyone else's so he cursed me." Xena demanded "Why have you taken my friend." Yapixite answered "When I struck and killed that moron I found myself in her delicious body.

So young, so delicate. So beautiful. I got to be one with flesh again, and it is mine forever." Xena said "You will leave my friend or I will show you how bad it can really be to have flesh." Yapixite mocked her "I don't think you have it in you to hurt the body of your beloved friend." It laughed.

It shot a lightning bolt at Xena which she barely dodged. The affect of all the energy had caused Gabrielle clothes to be partly burnt off exposing much of her covered flesh as the demon continued to attack. Xena rolled away to avoid another strike. The demon shouted "How long can you resist Xena. Can you really out run light?"

Another shot as Xena rolled forward and tried to punch Yapixite. But Yapixite touched her in the chest sending flying several feet back. It shouted "You can't beat a force of nature Xena!" Xena said "I'll give it a good try." It replied arrogantly "You will have to kill her to be rid of me" Another shot and another.

Xena sent her chakram, not to kill but perhaps to wound in an attempt to bring Gabrielle back. A shot of lightning hit it causing it to miss her embedding into a tree. Xena was running out of ideas until she had one.

As she was dodging shot after shot she grabbed a pair of leather gloves off the hands of one of the men she had defeated. Putting them on her hands she took out her sword. A shot of lightning was caught on her sword but the leather protected her from the affects of the bolt.

Xena approached Yapixite as her sword absorbed another shot. They were now nearly face to face. Yapixite readied a massive strike as Xena shouted "Get out of my friend!" She slammed her sword into Gabrielle's hand that was reading the bolt. The blade cut the flesh some but Xena was careful not to remove the hand. The lightning entered Gabrielle's body causing an explosion of energy. The result of which sent both of them flying several feet back. The thunder demon left her body returning to the heavens above.

Xena lay on her back quickly forcing her way to her feet. Gabrielle had taken the force of the shock. Xena quickly ran to her body. No pulse. Xena knew what do hoping it would work this time to. She held Gabrielle's nose shut breathing air into her lungs. Then she did chest compressions to try to get the heart pumping. Nothing. Xena looked desperate as she said "Come on Gabrielle." She did it again. Nothing. Xena shouted "Come on Gabrielle!" She breathed air into her lungs and slammed her fist into her chest. Gabrielle's eyes opened as she gasped for air.

Xena cradled her head. Xena said "Gab, are you alright?" Gabrielle weakly said "Yes, barely." Xena was happy, her friend was alive and free of Yapixite. Xena helped her up saying "Lets get you out of here."

Later Xena bandaged the cut on her hand and found some clothes to wear until they could get her some new clothes (Which would be shorter and smaller than the ones that were fried.) They thanked the farmer again as he provided them shelter from the storm the day before.

Later on.

Xena and Gabrielle were starring at the stars. Gabrielle said "The stars, the wind, the nighttime feel, it's like we are interconnected, like we are.." Xena's hand covered Gabrielle's mouth. She said "Don't say that again. Unless you want to be possessed another thunder demon." Gabrielle smiled and said "Good point."

Closing credits.

My special thanks to Rob Tapert and John Schullian for creating Xena and the series. Steven L Sears and RJ Stewart for providing some of the best episodes in the series. Lucy Lawless and Renee o Connor for bringing to life two of the greatest characters in all fiction and all the rest who did so much to create this awesome show. And to Haz, Silvermoonlight, and Callisto 01 for all your reviews of my story Gabrielle, Queen of the Amazons (Shameless plug)

No lightning demons were harmed in the production of the story.


End file.
